Dragonball LE: Light Eternal
by warriorfist
Summary: Bardock has been plagued with visions of the future. For the last five years, he has quietly worked with King Vegeta to prevent this future. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
1. Vegeta Dies

"Wake up, soldier. It's time."

Bardock opened his eyes. The dark red of his pod's interior greeted him.

"ETA to our destination, pod?"

"3 minutes."

"That's too long. Engage the VR again."

"As you wish."

Bardock was engulfed by overwhelming darkness once again. He executed some mental commands, and now, he was looking at a green sky, soaking in the petrichor smell from the nearby grass.

Kanassa. He always imagined himself here, for better or for worse.

It had been 1479 days since Kanassa. Five Saiyans waged war against a hundred million, for three weeks. Bardock smirked wanly, remembering the sheer thrill of slaughter. Few things satisfied a Saiyan as much as crushing enemies with his bare hands.

Bardock grimaced when he noticed where this train of thought was leading. He was beyond saving. He was the punctuation mark at the end of a violent history that was barely a civilization, let alone a culture. But it was his race, and his history. He was a Saiyan, and he was proud.

Bardock walked to the edge of the coastline and knelt. He rose to the air, before diving headfirst into the ocean. A brown aura erupted around his form, illuminating the depths of the ocean as he covered one hundred leagues in five minutes.

Water flooded into his lungs and ears- but for only a second. He gently pushed his ki outwards, focusing on his nostrils and earholes. His heartbeat calmed, and the brown aura dancing around him contracted.

Slowly, Bardock exhaled, letting his thoughts wander. He had been meditating for a while, but mastery of mindfulness remained as elusive as ever. It was, perhaps, due to his Saiyan genes. Saiyan minds weren't crafted for reason and tranquility.

Eventually, the quiet storm in his mind subsided, and Bardock knew peace.

He split his mind's focus into two. One side focused on battle simulations, and the other on his memories, and strategies for the upcoming mission.

Bardock briefly reflected on the elegance of Saiyan technology, and their culture as a whole. A whole civilization dedicated to war, slaughter and glory. Songs, novels, cities were created for that singular purpose. Some scientists had considered increasing aggression levels and ironing out 'distractions' such as affection in the genetic matrix. They have been stymied for the time being, but he wondered how long that would stick.

He paced his way through the simulations. City blocks. Megacities. Countries. Continents. He cleared them out, one by one.

He tested different tactics each time. Hand to hand. Aerial bombardment. Guerilla warfare.

The longest it took him to clear a planet was twenty three minutes.

He moved on to more ambitious scenarios. Himself and a small band of Saiyans against the Tuffles Armada. That took a few more hours.

He thought of trying his luck against the Cold Empire's fleet. But he didn't dare try, not this close to success. The pod AIs were often screened by overseers, and they were sure to detect such suspicious exercises.

"We are entering the moon's atmosphere."

Bardock opened his eyes. The pod was surrounded by atmospheric fire. It shook, and Bardock felt a surge of adrenaline flooding his nerves, empowering his instincts. The pod crashed onto the ground two minutes later. Bardock grunted as his shoulders bruised on impact.

He climbed out once the door opened. He had landed in the middle of a forest, creating a small crater at the point of impact. It was night, and the nearby planet shone like a bright candle. It was a greenish blue gas giant, and there was a huge storm waging near its South Pole.

Bardock turned his scouter on and took to the skies. "Team, status report."

"I am here," Nappa's gruff voice floated through the speaker. "Radditz is too. He's still dazed. Landed funny."

"Stupid pod," Radditz equivocated weakly.

"King Vegeta, what's your status?"

"I am well," Vegeta stated, in his usual gruff and regal tone. "Let's talk less and focus on what's in front of us."

"Indeed," Bardock concurred. "Let's meet at the base."

Bardock sped through the skies, soaring past birds and night clouds. He kept his power dampened as he approached the sky elevator for the orbital base.

He spotted the lone lookout near the gates. He swooped down as he neared the guard, picking up a rock and throwing it at his nine-o clock to distract him.

The guard, now alert, moved slowly, turning on the flashlight on his plasma rifle as he moved towards the source of the noise. Bardock surged towards him silently, grabbing hold of the mouth tightly with one hand and striking the head sharply with another.

He removed the guard's scouter from his temple, and interfaced with through his own. He hacked the secure channels, sending a couple of rogue algorithms through meant to distract and confuse the remaining guards in the elevator.

"Operation is go," Bardock relayed to his fellow saboteurs. "We have around five minutes before the elevator closes down for curfew."

"That's five minutes too many," Radditz scowled.

"Let's see if you can clear it," Bardock replied, watching the skies. Three dim figures descended from the clouds, silently flying through various entry points.

Bardock went through the main entrance. The minute buzzing of the enmeshed wiring, and the gleam of the metallic walls made Bardock uneasy. These walls had borne witness to much bloodshed. They might do so again tonight.

Bardock flew up to the higher levels, ascending three hundred floors of distance in two minutes. He noticed the others going about their work, picking off any stragglers not yet neutralized by the sonic interference from their scouters. Nappa shoved his large, meaty fist through one guard's head, which exploded gorily like a flesh-colored pumpkin. Napa rubbed the remains of the guard's jaw off his hand, waving airily at Bardock as he ascended past the older Saiyan.

Bardock entered the security room once he reached the top level. He checked the feeds, confirming that most of Frieza Planet #422's population were in various stages of slumber after tonight's festivities. Frieza was passed out in his private quarters, and King Cold was asleep with two royal concubines.

"You sure you are up for taking Frieza, General?" Vegeta inquired, his boots clacking softly against the metallic floor as he drew closer.

"You sure you are up for King Cold, my liege?"

Vegeta grimaced. "As ready as I will ever be. Five years of training. Your visions better be right, Bardock."

"I am not sure if they are right. Super Saiyans, Gods, Other Universes. But I do know that Frieza is a maniac, and he sent Dodoria to finish us off at Kanassa. Better to do him in, before he does the same to us."

"That's easier said than done. Frieza has a power level of five hundred thousand."

"Even more. And he's hardly the strongest bastard out there."

"Hmmph. More jaws to break, then. Godspeed, General."

"Likewise, my liege."

Bardock saw something akin to respect pass over Vegeta's rugged, aged features. He nodded, before blasting off with urgency, a trail of blue ki illuminating his path.

Bardock took a deep breath, and reached into the wellspring of power within him. He felt ki all around him, emanating from insects, critters and birds. The energy ebbed and flowed, in harmony with nature, humming and buzzing with untold stories of moments unseen and unheard.

And then, Bardock felt two cold, liquid magma-like ki signatures. He focused on the rawer, volatile signature, and exhaled.

"I am coming for you, Frieza."

Bardock tore through the skies, white energy blazing around his form. He briefly took in the sights of Sky City 21 as he headed towards the palace. The semi-sentient city pulsed with data, metal sinews snaking through the opaque flooring. Once designed as a cooperative learning and residential environment, SC21 had been repurposed as a pleasure hub by the Cold Empire. It fetched a pretty penny for its Overseers, and hosted the most decadent celebrations in the galaxy.

Bardock grimaced as he spotted the domed palace. He increased his speed drastically, and everything around him dissolved into a blur.

Bardock blasted through the dome, aiming to drive his knee through the prone Frieza's back. Frieza yelped, maneuvering mid-air and side-stepping Bardock as they crashed through the floor.

"Careful," Frieza said darkly, cracking his neck and slipping into a fighting stance. "You could hurt someone."

"Hurt you? I am going to kill you."

Frieza smirked, and his eyes sparkled. "You can try."

Bardock charged at Frieza, who reacted with a gut punch. Bardock grinned: Frieza was leading with his left, as he knew from his memories of the other world. He swerved slightly, kneeing Frieza in the ribs before driving his elbow onto the base of Frieza's neck with unbridled ferocity.

If that had been anyone other than Frieza, Bardock would have snapped his opponent's spine in two. But this was Frieza, and as Bardock increased the distance between him and his opponent, he caught Frieza rebalancing himself, his right cheek straining under the menace of his smirk.

Bardock grinned, his hair now floating, waving to and fro like trees trying to survive a storm. Fists clenched, he spread his arms, curling them into a stance. And then, with a blood curdling yell, Bardock focused on his ki, unfolding it around his body in a brilliant display of white energy.

"Ahh, I see," Frieza remarked, lazily floating towards Bardock, mischief dancing in his eyes. "This is where the fun begins."

Bardock grimaced, despite the tug of war being waged between his body and his will. His body was shaking, joints creaking and muscles tearing, as he unleashed the full extent of his power, secretly gained through training and espionage over the last four years.

This was all he had, and with it, he could end Frieza in a heartbeat. But he needed to do it before Frieza could power up: Bardock wouldn't last two seconds against a fully powered up Frieza.

He remembered those strange memories, and when they came into his mind, he could see his son, and Vegeta's son fighting side by side, defeating Frieza and many other enemies. He felt the power they generated, as though he was connected to them via phantom limbs.

They had their whole lives ahead of them. The least Bardock could do was to make sure they didn't suffer under the heel of the Cold clan.

"You are serious about this, aren't you?" Frieza said, discarding his armor. He descended, eyes keen and trained on Bardock. "You do realize that you signed your death warrant, as well as everyone else you ever knew?"

Bardock waited for Frieza to make the first move. And he knew what move it was, because at this power level, it was the only move left.

"I must admit that I underestimated you monkeys. I should have never let you live. Traitor scum, is what you are."

Bardock flew, cutting through the air around him like a supersonic javelin. The ground quaked and gave way. At these speeds, he could see the terror seep into Frieza's eyes, spreading like a plague through his body, racing towards his extremities.

"Frieza. It's over."

Frieza yelled, like a spoiled child does when his toys are taken away. He rushed to defend himself, crossing his arms in front of his face as he leapt backwards. His tail rose, curled and alert, waiting for Bardock to come into Frieza's range.

Bardock focused his energies onto his outstretched fist, his knuckles burning like bony constellations on a white sky. His speed increased exponentially, and the world around him blurred, the colors of the sky and the pulsing floors of SC21 draining into a focal point like a strange kaleidoscope of colors and sounds.

Frieza saw it coming, but it was already two late. It took 0.15 seconds for his brain to process the sight in front of him, and it took three seconds more for the brain to decide on a fight or flight response.

When Bardock closed the gap between them, terror had just began to register on Frieza's features, like a rising sun peeking from the distant horizon. His mouth laxed, quivering, a battle of emotions swirling within.

He was the heir apparent to the Kold empire. He would not scream or show weakness, even when faced with death. He was Frieza, and that meant he would take this final loss as Frieza is wont to do.

Bardock's fist connected with Frieza's torso with explosive finality. The energy around his knuckles morphed, assuming a blade like shape; Bardock twisted his fist like a blender, bursting through Frieza's exterior and into his innards, the energy blade cutting off all vital connections in his gut. The blade spliced through his spinal column, cutting it in twain.

Bardock gazed at Frieza, whose head was drooping, blood and spit rolling down from his mouth. Frieza quivered, his lips twitching as though he was about to say his last words.

Bardock would offer Frieza no such luxury. He gathered energy on the palm of his hands. the wound on Frieza's torso glowed. Frieza raised his hands weakly, clutching at Bardock's arm, too proud to ask for mercy.

"Do you know how long I waited for this?" Bardock asked, using his other hand to grab Frieza's throat.

Frieza coughed, his bravado retreating to the narrowest corners of his mind. "It doesn't matter, monkey. Get this over with."

"With pleasure."

Bardock opened his palms, and a streak of white ki burst forth, eviscerating Frieza's innards in an instant. Once Bardock was done, he pulled his hand out of the smoldering piece of flesh that was once Frieza. He resisted the urge to vomit as he inspected his arm, covered in a revolting mixture of purple and blue blood.

Bardock searched for King Cold and Vegeta's energy signals. He didn't have to wait for long: he spotted Vegeta a few klicks away from where Bardock was, and the way his energy was fluctuating, Bardock couldn't help but fear the worst.

Bardock blasted off, urgency infecting his thoughts as he hurried towards Vegeta. When he arrived, he saw Vegeta lying prone atop a pile of wreckage, barely managing to raise his head when he saw Bardock approaching his position.

"Finally," Vegeta said, propping himself up with his hands. "That took longer than expected."

Bardock looked around, looking for King Cold. However, there was no trace of him, and this disturbed the Saiyan to no end.

"Listen, Bardock. We have already lost. Take your pod and get out of here. We need to warn the rest of the Saiyans about what awaits them."

"I am not leaving without you, liege," Bardock insisted, grabbing Vegeta's hands and trying to lift him up to his feet.

"You fool! There's nothing you can do to help me. Cold is far more powerful than you thought. I am done for. Gather the rest of us and leave!"

Bardock nodded, but then in a move that surprised even himself, he struck Vegeta's neck with a chop. Vegeta groaned, his eyes becoming unfocused as he faded towards unconsciousness.

"You heard the man," Bardock said, turning on his scouter's comms channel. "Let's try and get out of here in one piece."

Bardock flew, grunting as he carried Vegeta towards the forest. When he reached the edge of the forest, however, he saw two columns of fire rising from within the forest. Screams echoed, and as Bardock passed by, he realized that it was Raditz and Nappa, completely at the mercy of whatever foe had cornered them.

Bardock increased his speed, trying his best to stay off the radar of his enemies' scouters. He prayed that his pod hadn't yet been discovered. When he reached his pod's location, he saw that it was still well hidden. Opening the door, he placed Vegeta gingerly onto the pod's seat, rapidly entering a series of codes to set the pod's next destination.

The pod shot off, and Bardock felt relieved. At least the King was now safe. He could now focus on saving the rest of his squad.

Before he could do that, however, two things happened.

A streak of dark red energy hit the pod, which exploded upon impact. Bardock craned his neck to see King Cold standing, hands raised towards the pod. King Cold noticed Bardock too, and he scoffed, the way one scoffs at a particularly persistent insect.

"You didn't think it would be this easy, did you?"

A force of untold magnitude crashed into Bardock, who went flying off his feet. He was experiencing a level of pain that he thought was impossible. And then a barrage of punches and kicks rained down on him, battering his flesh with hundreds of blows.

It took King Cold and his forces two hours to finally subdue Bardock, only after he had completely exhausted his energy reserves. Bardock fought beyond what was humanly possible, clinging on to dear life, as though he was waiting for something to happen. Whatever that was, it never came. When the last dregs of hope had been beaten out of him, Bardock finally let go, drifting into the darkness of unconsciousness.

* * *

A restless King Cold retired to his chambers, a slew of thoughts circling inside his head, too fast to acknowledge and act upon. He accessed his camera feeds, pausing to look at his doctors and scientists doing their best to save Frieza's life.

Cold scoffed. It was Frieza's fault that he had been beaten so badly by an unknown Saiyan peasant. The boy had never trained a day in his life, and that was costing him.

"What do you propose we do to the Saiyans, sire?" Zarbon, one of Frieza's most trusted lieutenants, asked via another screen.

Cold glared at Zarbon, for his chain of thoughts had been interupted, and Cold wasn't fond of that happening to himself. He took a moment to gather his thoughts, and when he thought about what the Cold Empire should do in response to this display of unprovoked aggression, Cold realized that there was only one right answer.

"Take preparations, Zarbon. Instruct your fleet to stand by. See if the Ginyu Force is still around."

Zarbon nodded, frightful, for there was no mirth in Cold's words. He knew what was being asked of him, but he still felt as though he needed further clarification.

"When are we expected to launch the counter offensive, sire?"

"By tomorrow."

Zarbon recoiled. The Frieza force took two weeks, minimum, to muster at full strength. But this was King Cold, and what he demanded, he received, in one way or another.

"By tomorrow, sire?"

King Cold pursed his lips, carefully removing his armor and cape. "Yes, by tomorrow. Tomorrow, Vegeta dies."

Zarbon nodded, leaving his station to relay the new information to his fleet. Cold returned his gaze back to Frieza, who was hovering in a vat of healing gel.

"You could have been here, my child, but you aren't. I suppose I will have to make do with what I got."

Cold sighed, and turned off the lights before going to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy, busy day. He needed his beauty sleep.

King Cold sang to himself, trying to remember what the words were. It didn't matter, of course. King Cold chuckled. He hadn't been this excited about something since, well, forever.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow..."

He couldn't wait for the day to arrive. It had been three hundred years since Cold had personally taken part in genocide. He was looking forward to outdoing himself.


	2. An Unexpected Reunion

_**Age 768**_

Chi-Chi stared at the two items in her hand, balancing both on her palms.

"Which one, Goku?"

Goku turned, fixing his gaze on the two brands of cereals. "Uhh. Yeah... what's the difference again?"

"This is cornflakes," Chi-Chi explained, raising her left palm. "And this is multigrain."

Goku inspected the items in Chi Chi's hands, his eyes darting to the half filled basket by her side. His lips relaxed into a smile- the kind of smile that he was used to sporting when Chi-Chi asked him to help her organize Gohan's homework.

"It's good for your health right?" Goku asked, his eyes trained on the quivering woman shopping in the next aisle.

"I am not the one who's going to be eating them," Chi Chi stated. She was used to this kind of verbal dancing by now. That's what thirteen years of marriage does to you.

"Well, let's ask Gohan then," Goku looked to his side, expecting to find the ten year old there. But Gohan was nowhere to be found. "Where is Gohan, by the way?"

The mirth in Chichi's eyes retreated by micrometers. Chi-Chi advanced with deliberate poise, shoulders closed and pointed, eyebrows irate and bristling. "You were the one who was supposed to look after him," she said, lips twisting, her glaring eyes readying fireworks.

Goku recoiled and backed away, smiling sheepishly as he rounded the corner of the aisle. "Right, I will go look for him."

Goku strolled across the superstore, scanning the names and colorful packaging with great interest. They looked unncessarily elaborate, as though the makers were trying to distract people that they were, in fact, buying food.

For a man who had grown up hunting dinosaurs and fishing sharks, that was an outlandish idea. Food is food. Why the elaborate song and dance ritual for doing something so mundane?

Civilization was a nice thing to have, for the most part. It's definitely a much better way to find worthy opponents, for one. And most of his friends probably didn't like living in the wild lands, either. But all these weird rules and conventions never failed to amuse him.

Goku stopped when he spotted a preteen floating by the ice cream fridge, hands planted forlornly on the glass. He broke into a smile, striding towards his son, hand outstretched and reaching for the shoulder. "There you are!"

Wincing, Gohan nodded, descending to the floor with practiced ease. "Sorry about that, dad."

"For what, the flying or the leaving me behind thing?"

"Both, I guess."

"You know your mother, son," Goku ruffled Gohan's unruly hair, wafting through the hairstrands like shears parting grass. "She worries about you, is all."

Goku nudged Gohan gently towards the checkout queue, opening the fridge door to survey the buckets of joy that lay within. "Black Forest, right?"

Gohan beamed, nodding vigorously. "Thanks Dad."

"Go and fetch that trolley, will you?" Goku pointed, signalling towards the chain of yellow that waited beyond the aisle. "Let me get some of these for me as well."

"Right," Gohan grinned. "As long as you don't get diabetes, dad."

"Yeah. Chi Chi wouldn't like that, would she?"

They joined Chi Chi near the cash counters. She was in a much better mood, chatting animatedly with two other women in the queue. Goku grinned, hand firmly set on Gohan's shoulders. The basket dangled, balanced gingerly around Goku's fingers, swinging to and fro like a pendulum.

"That was fast," Chi-Chi said, tiptoeing off her toes as Goku stood next to her. She gave him a light peck on his cheek; Goku recriprocated, firmly grabbing her back, temple pressed against temple. "All of that training finally paying off for you, huh?"

"You could just join us today and find out for yourself, Chi-Chi," Goku said, approaching the cashier, flashing his trademark thousand watt smile. "Everyone is coming over today. It will be pretty great!"

"I don't know, Goku. I am okay with you and Gohan duking it out in our backyard. But a trip to Roshi's, at this time of the day?"

"Bulma will be there too, mom," Gohan said, picking up two shopping bags before joining his parents as they exited the store. "Krillin and Marron too! Plus, you can't miss out on Yamcha's hot dogs."

Chi-Chi frowned. "Not a big fan of junk food, sorry."

Goku smiled. One (of many) things he liked about Chi-Chi was how particular she was about what food she ate. He didn't know where she got that quirk from, but it did lead to a lot of random adventures, back when both of them were teenagers.

"Don't worry about it, Chi-Chi," Goku said. "You can just hang around too."

"Nah. Will have to pass on that," Chi-Chi said, looking towards the sky. "Come on, Flying Nimbus. We are running late for lunch."

A small yellow cloud peeked through, before speeding towards Chi-Chi, yellowish puffs spurting behind its tail. Chi-Chi jumped onboard and waved at her husband and child.

"You guys stay safe, okay? Please be there by dinner."

Goku nodded, his smile widening slightly. Chi Chi took off, the Nimbus cloud carrying her swiftly through the skies.

Goku took position, his arms stretched and flexing. He drew energy from within; a white aura flared, flicking into existence, dancing a slow, deliberate dance. It contrasted wildly with the trembling blue fires of Gohan's own aura.

Goku closed his fists and leapt, the aura bursting as he sped through the skies. Gohan flew beside him, neck to neck, his aura gaining in intensity.

They flew through and over clouds, gaining altitude until they could see space with their bare eyes. Goku grinned and twirled mid air, arms and legs stretched. He closed his eyes and felt the air. The air was hitting against his body with enough energy to swat down dragons. To Goku, it felt like he was being tickled by invisible fingers.

"Father, are we going to make it?"

Goku turned and squinted before recoiling. Gohan was much closer than he had anticipated. The preteen was still keeping pace with Goku, even when the latter was flying at supersonic speeds.

"I don't know, son. I hope so. We will just have to wait and see."

"Piccolo's been very hard on me lately, you know," Gohan said, worry seeping into his facial movements.

"Why?" Goku asked. There were times he couldn't get Piccolo. The Namekian kept mostly to himself, and at times, Goku could feel that he was tormented with worries that normally eluded Goku.

"He thinks that the Saiyans are too strong."

"Ahh! Yeah, they are. They have fought a war for the last twenty five years. I guess you need to be pretty strong to last that long against Frieza."

"Can we fight them, dad? If they come here?"

"Fight whom? The Saiyans or Frieza?"

"I don't know. Both?"

"I think that we can give them a good fight. The last couple of years' training with Kami and King Kai should pay off. But I can't say for sure. I can only use the Kaioken for so long, son."

"Will that work against Super Saiyans?"

Goku frowned. There was that term again. Super Saiyans.

"Look, Gohan. It's not about the technique. It's about the person that uses it. The best we can do is try our best.

We are fighting for a better cause. Our families, friends and everyone else on Earth could be in danger. We are doing everything we can. You have got to trust that's going to work out, okay?"

Gohan smiled and nodded.

Goku smiled, but his eyes were focused on the horizon. He didn't know what would happen if things didn't work out.

The Saiyans were personally responsible for the destruction of three hundred and forty two planets. His own family had killed thousands of people, if not more. A race of three million, all working towards a singular purpose of death and conquest.

It didn't matter that the Cold Empire was worse. The universe was suffering, and Goku wanted no part of this war.

If King Vegeta wanted to bring the fight to Earth, then that's his prerogative. Goku didn't care how many Super Saiyans Vegeta brought with him. He didn't spend his entire life training and fighting enemies across galaxies to stand by idly while his home suffered.

The Earth was under his protection, and Goku was itching to see who dared to challenge him on home turf. As much as he despised it, he was a Saiyan, and he loved to fight.

Twenty minutes later, Goku and Gohan landed on Master Roshi's island. To Goku's surprise, everyone was gathered around the house. Goku reckoned that he was still twenty minutes early.

"Hey guys, is there any problem?" Goku asked, placing a hand on Tien's shoulder.

Tien turned and nodded. His creased temple suggested something bad was going down.

"We have unexpected guests, Goku," Tien said. "You should see it for yourself."

Goku nodded, jaw set and unmoving. He strode into the house, already expecting the worst. There were four Ki signatures in the house, and two of them were higher than the others by a country mile.

Gine rose when Goku opened the door, putting down her cup of tea on the table. Bulma nodded at Goku, relief pouring into face as her jaw slackened. Krillin came towards Goku, his face apologetic.

"Sorry for that, buddy. It's not like we had much of a choice."

Goku smiled, but the mirth wasn't there. It was replaced with cold fury, calm and collected like steel. Raditz straightened and approached Goku, offering a hand. Goku wondered if he should shake or crush that hand. He remembered their fight, and it wasn't a memory that had aged well in the last five years.

Goku took Raditz's hand, his grip firm and stable. He shook it twice and let go. That was the most direct contact he cared to have with a mass murderer.

"Son, I am happy you are here," Gine said. "We need to talk."

Goku took one look at the room, and then at the people standing outside. He signaled Piccolo and Tien to come inside.

"Go ahead. I am listening."

~*~


	3. Fighting with his Family

"Whis?"

"Yes Lord Beerus?"

"This isn't how things were supposed to happen, is it?"

Beerus was floating in the middle of nowhere, or at least, that's what it seemed like to him. No planets of repute, and thus no delicacies to devour. The solar system was comprised of eleven planets and twenty three moons. That meant little to Beerus, other than rocks circling even bigger rocks.

"And how did you think they were supposed to go, my lord?" Whis asked, winking smugly.

"For one, I expected my universe to be Saiyan free for the foreseeable future. Instead, I wake up to see war breaking out everywhere I go. I can't believe Frieza couldn't destroy a single planet. This one thing I ask of him, and he fails."

"Sometimes, you can't rely on genocidal tyrants to make good on their words. Plus, from what I can gather, he was gravely injured before the war even started."

"I wonder how that happened. No one knows of what I asked Frieza, other than you, I suppose. Now you didn't go blabbing about it to the Saiyans, did you Whis?"

Whis laughed lightly, covering his mouth as he did so. "Now that would be something! No, lord Beerus. I was with you for the last thirty years."

"Yes. Yes you were, Whis."

Beerus floated lazily towards the planets, Whis idling alongside him. He remembered the legend of the Super Saiyan God. Was there anyone in the entire Saiyan armada who could stand up to the God of Destruction?

"No, lord Beerus."

"Pardon me?"

"You were wondering if any of them would be strong enough to face you. That is, simply put, highly unlikely."

"Oh. So you say it is possible, after all?" Beerus smirked.

"Yes, Yes, I suppose so."

"Isn't that interesting."

Beerus cleaved an asteroid in two with a nail, wading through the system's asteroid belt nonplussed and nonchalant. Whis disapproved, but he remained silent. For who would chide the God of Destruction when he was destroying things? That was literally in the god's job description.

Beerus stood beside a gas giant, contemplating whether or not he should erase it from existence.

"I suppose we can let the mortals wage this war among themselves. Let the Kais figure out how to stop it. Judging by their work so far, I am sure they have no idea how to deal with this."

"True, lord Beerus. And perhaps, through this war, maybe one being can emerge who can finally challenge you to a good fight."

"Indeed. The mortals have come along splendidly. So many worlds destroyed, and that too without me lifting a finger. I have some catching up to do."

Whis gulped, as Beerus lined up one blast to destroy three planets. He let the energy loose, which broke cleanly through the cores of four planets, igniting them instanteously. A cavalcade of explosions occurred throughout the solar system, as the planets broke apart in various ways, their chain reactions shattering the surface of several moons.

"That wasn't...too bad, was it?"

"It lacked panache, if that's what you are asking about, lord Beerus."

"Yes. I am rustier than I thought. Let's see how the Sun fares, shall we?"

Whis frowned. "Couldn't we leave it for another day? I am sure we can discover more delightful dishes elsewhere if we looked very hard."

Beerus harrumphed. "You drive a hard bargain, Whis. But keep in mind that if we don't find good food today, I get to destroy any star that I choose. And not any of those white dwarf stars either. Real stars. At least yellow and sizeable."

"Now isn't that a pickle? Thankfully, I know a place. Or two. Let's see how they have fared in the last thirty years."

* * *

Zarbon's leg creaked as he walked, a constant reminder of the metal brace implanted beneath his skin. It hurt every time he got up or walked, but to tell the truth, that's how he preferred it. It reminded him of the costs he had incurred in this war so far, more keenly than any memory could.

The war with the Saiyans had left Zarbon with plenty of scars, both physical and mental. It had also left him with clear command of the Frieza Army (under the auspices of Frieza himself, of course). Zarbon's stature within the command structure multiplied manifold after he survived a fight with Vegeta. Of course, only Zarbon knew that he caught Vegeta on a lucky day, and thus Vegeta had simply broken both of his legs and shoved his right arm deep into its own socket. Given Vegeta's reputation, Zarbon had gotten off very, very lightly.

Zarbon had trained hard since then, with both the Ginyu Force and even Frieza himself. The last few years hadn't gone easy for him, but it had paid off in dividends.

That's why, when he entered the main battle room on the ship, he was greeted with hushed voices and respect. Zarbon was one of the last remaining members of Frieza's old guard. And everyone else knew what that meant.

"Hey there, Zarbon. Everything going well for you, mate?" Jeice asked, shrugging as he offered a handshake.

Zarbon nodded. "Do you have a daily progress report?"

"Well, yes. But it's the same old, same old."

"I see. Still, we should cover it as soon as we can."

Jeice acquiesced, turning the main battle projections on. A map of the universe flickered into existence, birthed to life by holoprojectors in the ground.

"It's not that bad of day, truth be told," Jeice said, walking towards the north quadrant projection. "The Saiyans haven't progressed past C2 planets. Still a few hundred planets in our control here."

"Right. I have heard that Broly is being sent to change that," Zarbon said, pulling up scans of the legendary Saiyan warrior. "He hasn't yet lost a battle, Jeice. If lord Frieza needs to act, we need to let him know at once."

"Would he like that, though? He has made it clear that we aren't to bother him when he is training. And he's kinda been busy training the whole week."

"He's training, you buffoon, because he has to fight Super Saiyans whenever he goes out there in the field. And we only have two other people like Lord Frieza in the whole empire. If he dies, then the war may as well be over."

"I see what you mean, Zarbon," Jeice said, bristling under pressure. "But isn't it smart to hold our ground now instead of pressing a preemptive attack? Things are a lot worse in the Southern Quadrant. Bardock and Raditz have razed or conquered most of the C3 planets. They are systematically neutralizing all of our strategic targets in the area. Shouldn't we be more worried about that?"

"That's for King Cold to worry about, Jeice. If he needs our help, he will let us know."

"I see. Then I would advise that we hold onto our reserves for now. And for later, I would advise a two pronged attack on Broly. And Burter agrees on this too."

Burter peeked out of the sea of commanders, smiling nervously. "Yes, I do. We can get the drop on Broly if we time this right."

"King Cold isn't going to come into the North Quadrant, Burter."

"I wasn't talking about him, Zarbon."

Zarbon stared at Burter, and then at Jeice, livid. "Which one of you smart schlags came up with this idea?"

Burter raised his hand. "I did?"

Zarbon rushed towards the man, grabbing his throat and shoving him against the nearby wall. The sea of commanders parted as Zarbon squeezed harder, Burtur gasping as he struggled to break free.

"Does this seem like a good idea now, Burtur? You see how long it took for me to gut you like a fish? It will take Cooler even less time to ruin what we have in the North Quadrant. That madman is a last resort. Things are bad, but they aren't that bad."

Zarbon released Burtur, slowly walking back to his position at the head of the war table. "The Saiyans have been fighting us for the last thirty years. And they still haven't won. That should tell you something about the kind of power we wield.

Lord Frieza has entrusted the battlefields to our care. It's up to us to not screw things up. I am giving all of you three days. Three days to come up with a sensible plan of action. If I hear anything close to that Cooler nonsense again, I will throw you out of this ship myself. Any further questions?"

Zarbon searched the room, scanning their faces, wondering if this was working. He towered over everyone else in the room in both power and stature. Yet, he felt that when they saw him, they saw through his facade and saw the weak, vain man hiding inside his core.

But the commanders remained silent, and thus, the matter was decided. Zarbon's mastery was unquestioned. He was Lord Frieza's will and the instrument of his divine justice.

"Alright. Meeting adjourned."

* * *

Vegeta waited.

He was floating above his royal warship, keenly observing the carnage being wrought across the star system. Of the twenty three planets, Saiyans were assaulting the six outer planets, laying siege to their planetary bases.

This battle had been going on for three days. At this rate, Vegeta was going to be late for his appointment.

"Capsica, how long do you think it will take for Salsa's company to take those six planets?" Vegeta asked, holding his scouter.

"Our estimate suggests four more hours."

Vegeta scoffed. "That's four too many. Advise Salsa to withdraw from his positions."

"I take it you are going for the nuclear option, my liege?"

Vegeta smirked. "You guessed right."

"Right. The evacuation will be finished in five minutes. She's all yours after."

Vegeta nodded. He flew in through the escape hatch, heading towards the command room. Once he was there, he connected the interlink to the throne room.

Once the holodeck was online, Tarble appeared, mildly enthused to see his brother in front of him. "You finally remembered I existed, eh Vegeta?"

"I don't have time for pleasantries, Tarble. Has Broly arrived in the Northern Quadrant?"

"Yeah. He is mobilizing the vanguard on Pars 251. They will attack by sunrise."

"Good. Tell Broly to push through the defenses. We need to take the Quadrant by end of this month. That's why I sent my best general there.

Relay the day-to-day battle plans to the Regent. He's going to oversee the battlefront in my stead."

"You are heading there, aren't you? To Earth," Tarble said. "Things are really that bad?"

Vegeta nodded. This war had lasted far, far too long. He had grown up fighting it, and it was up to him to ensure that future generations of Saiyans don't go through the same thing again. And to ensure that, he was prepared to go to the last place he had ever wanted to go.

"You keep things sane when I am gone, right? I might be down on Earth longer than I intend to."

Tarble laughed nervously. "Let's hope for Earth's sake that's not the case."

"Relax. I will be on my best behavior."

"Coming from you, that's not really saying much."

Capsica's voice floated in through Vegeta's scouter. "Evacuations are complete, sir."

"Copy that. See you in three weeks, Tarble. Don't screw this up."

"Yeah. I love you too, Vegeta," Tarble said, grinning.

Vegeta disconnected the interlink, floating back up the hatch, facing his target with grim finality. He took a deep breath, stretching his arms wide, calling on his ki reserves, a torrential blue aura surrounding his limbs. Raging waves pushed through his body, concentrating onto the palms of his hands.

Gritting his teeth, Vegeta brought his hands together, fusing the two globes of energy into one giant ball. As the heat from the energy seared his flesh, he let loose, yelling as an enormous beam of light burst forth. "Final Flash!"

The beam traveled fast and long, searing past every planet and moon, before striking right at the heart of the system's resident star. It initiated a chain reaction, spreading from surface to core, initiating a supernova, which in turn initiated a system wide, planet obliterating shockwave.

"Look at that thing of beauty, Capsica," Vegeta said, returning to his ship, which began accelerating away from the system. "Have you heard about that creation myth? The one about God building the Universe in seven days?"

"No, sire. Where is that from?"

"It's from Earth. They entertain lots of amusing notions, as I am sure you will know very soon.

Anyways. If that story is true, then God is a lazy bastard. I don't have the patience to do something for days when I can finish doing it in seconds. But I must commend him. There's a certain symmetry to creation. A strange wonder that you can't quite explain. That's what makes it all so precious, you see. Life. Stars. The Universe. It's a pity that everything is so easy to destroy."

Vegeta looked at the system, examining his handiwork. Planets were exploding like popped balloons, sending further shockwaves of mini debris that flew everywhere.

The Saiyan part of him was, of course, furious; blowing up star systems were the easy way out. But he didn't have the luxury of following war conventions all the time. He was reaching a point in his life where he was starting to forget the number of battles he had fought, let alone all the people he had killed.

And as much as Vegeta liked killing, even he had a threshold that he didn't like to cross. And this war had pushed him dangerously close to crossing it.

He wondered if Kakarot could be pushed into crossing that kind of line. If not, then powerful or not, he would be of little use to the Saiyan empire.

And a Saiyan who wasn't useful to the empire was as good as dead in this war.

* * *

"How far away is he?" Goku asked. He was seated on the sofa with his mother, Gine, flanked on both sides by Piccolo and Tien. Radditz was out in the front porch, trying (and failing) to heckle the Turtle.

"It will probably take a week for Vegeta to get here. Last I heard, he was still out there in the East Quadrant."

"And what does that mean for Earth, Vegeta being here?" Piccolo asked, grimacing.

"He is coming here because he needs Kakarot, and his son. He knows about you lot. And he's curious. He's specially concerned why there are two Saiyans who haven't pledged allegiance to the Empire."

"We are Earthlings," Goku said firmly. "We have no business with either side of the conflict."

"That didn't stop you from helping with Namek, did it?" Gine asked. "Look son, I know what you are like. Your father knows all about you. That's why he's been adamant about keeping your turf isolated from the war. But Vegeta has other plans."

Goku rose to his feet. "I have heard all I need to hear. I am going to tell Vegeta the same thing I am telling you right now. I am not interested, and neither is Gohan. The Saiyans kill for a living. Just because they are fighting Frieza doesn't automatically make them the better side."

"Would you rather have us die all those years ago?" Gine asked, clasping Goku's hand as she rose, conviction set in her eyes. "We are what we are, son. We are fighting for survival."

Goku shook his hand free from Gine's grip. "I respect you, mother, for all you have done for me. I know it must have hurt you to send me away. But you are asking too much from us. I can't go into a war and put my son's and friends' lives at risk."

Gine nodded grimly, her lips quivering. "Alright. Then what about this. We train together for the next few weeks. That will give you an idea about what you can expect from Vegeta and his royal guard. If you can fight them off, that's alright. But if you can't, then you will understand why exactly you need to fight for us, at least for the time being."

"That doesn't sound bad," Piccolo said. "I have always wondered how strong other Saiyans are, especially since we fought Turles all those years ago."

"Is Vegeta really going to attack us, though?" Krillin asked, incredulous. "Even if we don't fight for him, we are still technically on his side, right?"

Radditz laughed heartily, nudging the door ajar as he rejoined his mother. "You guys don't really know how Vegeta works, do you? He's the King of all Saiyans. What he wants, he gets. What he doesn't get, he destroys. He's a simple man, but he's also a damn good leader. And believe me, Kakarot, if he's coming here to ask for your help, then we are well and truly screwed."

Goku smiled coldly. "He hates me that much?"

"More than you could ever imagine. He's very close with father, you know. And father told him a lot about how tight you and Vegeta were in the other timeline, and how you were always one step ahead of him in terms of power levels. But I am getting ahead of myself. I am sure Vegeta will be more than happy to tell you all this in person. And to be honest, I am looking forward to it.

You know what you need, little brother? You need some humility. You believe that your moral high ground somehow makes you superior to people like me. The joke's on you. There's no room for morality in this war. Vegeta is a mean right bastard. But he's our mean right bastard. And the sooner you kiss his ring, the better."

Tien smirked, eyeing Radditz up and down as he walked out of the house. "You guys talk the talk. Let's see if you can walk the walk. Since you interrupted our sparring session, you might as well join it. If you play nice, I might even go easy on you."

Raditz chuckled. "Sure. It's your funeral."

Gine scowled. "Raditz, remember what we are here for. No killing."

"Sure. No killing."

Everyone stepped outside, giving Tien and Raditz a wide berth as both of them sized each other up. Gohan returned to his father's side, excitement and anxiety stemming off his expressions. "Is this a good idea? Tien going up against Raditz?"

Goku nodded. "Tien has trained well in the last few years. This should give us a good idea of how much Raditz has improved, which in turn will give us an idea about how strong Vegeta is."

Tien rose into the air, as did Raditz, both men cycling each other, gauging each other's measure.

"So who's supposed to go first?" Raditz said. "Is it me? Am I supposed to go first?"

"Be my guest," Tien said, taking a battle ready stance, his arms and fists raised.

"Alrighty then."

Raditz rushed at Tien, elbow aimed at his jaw. Tien jumped back, countering with a backhand. He missed and cursed, and Raditz snorted. Raditz tried a few kicks, before increasing his distance, launching a volly of ki blasts. Tien deflected most of them, before sidestepping and launching a Dodon blast at the Saiyan.

Raditz grunted and raised his hands, absorbing the full brunt of the blast. He coughed, waving away the smoke emanating from the impact, and then gasped, quickly finding himself on the back foot as Tien swarmed him, soon multiplying into four versions, testing Raditz's defenses from every angle.

"That's a nice trick there, human. I also brought plenty of my own."

Raditz crossed his arms, a huge wellspring of ki bursting forth from his form, pushing away all four Tiens with a forceful wave. Tien absorbed his clones, grimacing, before rushing back in, his white ki aura flaring back to life.

As Tien pressed Raditz, pushing him deeper towards the sea, Goku wondered how Raditz would react. "Tien's a smart fella, isn't he Gohan? Look how he is testing Raditz. He's trying to see how his opponent reacts to pressure."

"Is that a good idea? I mean, what if Raditz turns into a Super Saiyan?"

Raditz laughed from above. " I am flattered, boy. But I don't need to turn into a Super Saiyan to take care of this sorry excuse of an Earthling."

Tien's lips curled, eyes focusing intently on Raditz. "I think it's more the fact that you can't turn into a Super Saiyan, Raditz. That bugs the hell out of you, doesn't it?"

Raditz glared, fists shut tight. "If you are trying to get a rise out of me, then good job. Consider me pissed off."

Raditz raised his hand, concentrating ki into his palm. A purple sphere formed above, rapidly growing in power and scale. Tien gritted his teeth, increasing his distance.

"That looks dangerous, dad," Gohan said. "A little more power, and he could seriously hurt Tien."

Goku nodded. "I am sure Tien knows that too. Let's see what he does."

As Raditz hovered and charged his attack, Tien slowly positioned himself, his back turned against the sun. Tien glanced behind his back, and then back at Raditz, a small smile edging past his lips.

Raditz aimed his hand at Tien, preparing to fire. "Double Sun-"

"Solar Flare!" Tien yelled, his fingers spread around both eyes.

Raditz, temporarily blinded, screamed and misfired, his ki blast blowing well past Tien and into the horizon. Tien pressed his advantage, landing a chop on Raditz's head and following up with a springboard kick, driving the disoriented Saiyan down into the waters of the sea.

Tien waited, anticipating Raditz's response. But when that came, it came at dizzying speeds: Raditz shoved him hard and grabbed his arms, pushing him higher and higher into the air. As Raditz's speed increased at a faster rate, Tien struggled to break free, but Raditz's fingers dug even deeper into his arms.

"This doesn't look good," Gohan said.

Goku winced, his expression darkening. "Not it doesn't. Stay here, Gohan."

Goku's aura flared and with one leap, he was off. He raced into the upper rungs of the atmosphere, his eyes trained on the meteor-like forms of Raditz and Tien. By the time he caught up to them, they were almost into the stratosphere; Tien's skin had turned worryingly pale, and his eyes were glazed and non responsive.

Goku grabbed Raditz full Nelson, forcibly removing him from Tien, shoving him away before catching Tien, gently guiding him back down to Earth.

Once both he and Tien touched ground, he took a minute to check his friend's vitals; relief washed over him when he saw that everything was okay (or as okay as they could be, given the circumstances).

"That wasn't nice, Raditz," Goku said, a light aura emanating off his limbs as he floated off the ground once again. "And it's no way to earn our trust. We are supposed to be on the same side, aren't we?"

"Raditz harrumphed, dusting off his armor as he approached the island. "Who said I was playing nice? I am a Saiyan. Nice isn't part of my vocabulary.

As for being on the same side, I am here on this backwater puddle of a planet, aren't I? As opposed to being out there, raiding and pillaging C3 planets. You got to meet us halfway too."

Goku turned towards Gine, smiling slightly when he realized that she was grumpy as well.

"You have a hard time keeping him on leash, huh?"

Gine sighed. "What can I say? The men in my life rarely listen to me. And that has worked out well, hasn't it?"

Bulma cleared her throat, striking a dinner plate with a spoon for emphasis. "If you guys can stop with all the posturing for a bit and come have lunch, that will be great."

Goku's expressions underwent a smorgasbord of changes, from annoyance to wonder to excitement and glee. He grinned from ear to ear, rubbing the back of his head as he headed back into the house, going straight to the kitchen. Both Raditz and Gine followed his lead, their eager expressions mirroring the kind of excitement you see in cats when they smell salmon and chicken gravy (and then they realize that it's for them).

"That was a good save, Bulma," Gohan said, chuckling.

"Bulma, I gotta ask though," Krillin said, hand pressed against chin. "Is there enough for all of us?"

Bulma shook her head. "Obviously, I didn't have enough supplies for two extra Saiyans. So you better get your ass in the kitchen when the going's good."

Krillin laughed, his nervousness receding. Gohan laughed as well, while Piccolo grunted disapprovingly from a distance.

Piccolo helped Tien get to his feet, and then he turned towards the sea, staring at the horizon, his expressionless features masking his concern.

"You want to ask me how strong he was, don't you?" Tien said, nursing his bruised ribs.

"Yes. He wasn't going all out, was he?" Piccolo asked, already aware of the answer.

"Not even close. He is a lot stronger now than he was five years ago."

"And Raditz isn't even a top class warrior to begin with. He's only sent to low value planets."

Tien's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"

"He blabbed it out during our last battle. If you haven't noticed, Raditz likes to talk. A lot. Part of the reason why Goku won against him."

Tien nodded, laughing shortly. "Goku's pretty much the only one who has a chance against these Saiyans, if things do go south."

Piccolo smirked. "Don't forget Gohan. He's been training with both me and his father for the last six years. You didn't see what he did against Slug and Turles."

"Right. That still makes two of us. Against...what a dozen of them? Or even more, like fifty?"

Piccolo turned his head towards Tien, his facade starting to slip away. "Yeah. We need more numbers on our side.

I know what to do. But it's going to cost us. In more ways than one."

Tien sighed. "But it's pretty much the only option we have on our hands, isn't it?"

Piccolo nodded. "Yes. Yes it is."

He looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing past the clouds. "Tien, I am going to go away for a while. Probably won't return until next week. You and the others keep training until then. This is going to take all of us working well, and working together."

"Yeah. You take care of yourself too, Big Green."

Piccolo frowned. "I hate that name."

Once Piccolo was off, Tien sat by the beach, observing the setting sun sinking into the waters of the sea. He limbered and stretched his hands, wincing, keenly aware of his bruised ribs.

"Enjoying the scenery, Tien?" Yamcha said, walking out of the house with two beers in hand.

Tien smiled, rising to his feet. "Yeah. Who knows how long this will last."

Yamcha handed one bottle to Tien, who took a long, grateful gulp. "Vegeta is going to totally kick our asses, isn't he?"

"Probably. But hey, we aren't pushovers either. We might be kicking his ass, for all you know."

Yamcha snickered, downing some beer and burping lightly. "This is going to be worse than that time Turles tried his Tree of Might thing you know."

"That's not that bad," Tien said, his nerves still recovering from the sparring session. "I mean, it's not as bad as King Piccolo. But still pretty, pretty bad."

"Let's hope we don't have to use Dragonballs this time, yeah?"

Tien nodded. "From what I just heard, Yamcha, I think we don't have that option anymore."

"Oh well. At least we get to go out like badasses against the most powerful beings in the universe."

"That's Frieza or King Cold," Tien corrected Yamcha. "But yeah, Vegeta's a close second."

"Hey! Are you guys going to come eat or what?" Bulma asked as she peeked outside, visibly irritated. "I am working with eleven hands already. If you aren't hungry, come and help me out!"

"Yeah, babe, we are coming!" Yamcha said, nudging Tien to follow him. "Sorry for not bailing you out sooner."

Tien waved Yamcha off, opting to stay outside for a few minutes longer. It had never really occurred to him how beautiful sunsets were. Of course, he had known that fact, but he had never felt it.

He had trained all his life, and for what? Vegeta was still coming to Earth in three weeks. He had never really asked Krillin what dying felt like, and for good reason too. He would be lying if he said that he was afraid of dying. But he was grateful to have survived as long as he did.

With a sigh, Tien returned to Kame House. Maybe some food in his belly would distract him. Thank Kami for small pleasures.

"You okay, Tien?" Bulma asked. She was still standing by the doorway, leaving some plates on the sofa for Puar, Oolong and Turtle. "You look like you saw a ghost."

Tien shook his head. "I am alright. And you know what, Bulma? I guess things are going to be alright. Especially since Goku's on our side."

Bulma nodded, smiling warmly. "Yeah. Things are going to be alright. Because, well, if they aren't, there isn't much to look forward to, right?"

Don't worry, Tien. I am sure Goku has a new technique up his sleeve."

Tien looked at Goku, who was still scarfing down three steaks at once, hoarding his share of the table, periodically frowning as he kept Raditz away from pilfering his supply.

Of course, Goku was one step ahead of everyone else. That's why he was so calm and happy, right? But what if, this one time, Goku didn't have anything up his sleeve?

Tien sighed inwardly. He would have to wait and see for the next three weeks, like everyone else.


End file.
